Have you ever thought about how many single-use cotton products you go through during your weekly skin care routine? When we first started looking at ways to reduce waste, this caught us off guard. The task of removing makeup, nail polish, applying toner, all seemed to default to single-use cotton balls or facial rounds!

5 reasons to make the switch to reusable organic bamboo rounds

Today we’re going to share our top 5 reasons to make the switch to our reusable organic bamboo rounds!

1) Cotton is considered the world's 'dirtiest' crop due to its heavy use of insecticides, the most hazardous pesticide to human and animal health. Aldicarb, for instance, the second most commonly used insecticide for cotton, can kill a man with just one drop absorbed into the skin (whoa!). Cotton covers 2.5% of the world's cultivated land yet uses 16% of the world's insecticides, more than any other single major crop (according to the Organic Trade Association).

2) Seventy percent of all the water people use globally is dedicated to agriculture. That water is essential for the food we eat, as well as crops like cotton. Cotton, organic or not, requires a huge amount of water and energy to grow and harvest. Creating one cotton t-shirt can use around 2,700 litres of water. Organic cotton, by definition, comes from plants that have not been genetically modified. Because of that difference, to get the same amount of fiber from an organic crop and a conventional crop, you’ll have to plant more organic plants, which means using more land. That land, of course, has to be tended and irrigated.

It will take you about 290 gallons of water to grow enough conventional, high-yield cotton to produce a t-shirt, according to Cotton Inc. To grow the same amount of organic cotton for a t-shirt, however, requires about 660 gallons of water. The disparity is similar for a pair of jeans.

The Aral sea, once the world’s fourth largest lake, is an example of this. Where there was once a vast water reserve that supported fish and other aquatic species, as well as thriving fishing villages and lush land, agriculture (primarily cotton farms) that surrounded it used up all of this precious resource, leaving behind a toxic, barren wasteland, that affected thousands of local habitants. Not only is the Aral Sea essentially dried up, the exposure of the bottom of the lake has released salts and pesticides into the atmosphere, poisoning both farm land and people alike with carcinogenic dust.

3) Irresponsible farming has led to over one third of the world’s arable land now being completely unusable. Erosion has been occurring at a pace of up to 100 times greater than the rate of soil formation, as it takes around 500 years for just 2.5 cm of topsoil to be created amid unimpeded ecological changes.

According to the World Wildlife Fund: The transition to agriculture from natural vegetation often cannot hold onto the soil and many of these plants, such as coffee, cotton, palm oil, soybean and wheat, can actually increase soil erosion beyond the soil’s ability to maintain itself.

4) Mostly all single-use cotton facial products also come in plastic packaging, even organic! And we know that recycling rates of plastic packaging are seriously lagging.

5) Bamboo is known to be a sustainable fabric source, as it grows fast and uses less water than a traditional cotton crop. It is the fastest-growing woody plant in the world, capable of growing up to four feet a day and rarely, if ever, needs replanting. It will sprout on its own and one acre of bamboo can yield 10 times more than one acre of cotton. Most of it is grown organically (though very little is certified organic), and in most locations requires no irrigation or fertilizers as it is naturally resistant to insects or infecting pathogens.

Bamboo fabric is hypo-allergenic and SUPER soft while at the same time, strong, which is great for sensitive skin and long use. It’s also naturally antimicrobial, helping keep the fabric, and your skin, fresh as a daisy!

Our reusable organic bamboo rounds, are a simple zero-waste switch that has a big impact! Simply toss them in the wash after use, and use again. They are super soft, and can be used for toner, to remove makeup, or with your favourite facial cleanser! They can even be used for removing nail polish, or as a gentle wipe for babies during changing, or bath time, and are also great for applying medicines like hydrogen peroxide for mild cuts and abrasions.

Information

Welcome to Unwrapped life

We are about empowering an earth-friendly, low-waste, and plastic-free lifestyle. It's everyday people taking responsibility for the waste they produce, the products they use, and the impact they have on themselves, and the environment.